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July 2013

POPLARVILLE - Students who completed the Pearl River Community College barbering and cosmetology programs last month received their diplomas Monday, July 1, in a special graduation ceremony. PRCC President Dr. William Lewis presented the diplomas to the graduates. “I want to say congratulations to you for what you’ve accomplished,” he said. “You go into a challenging world, there’s no question about that. You have an opportunity to make a difference, not only with the skills you have but as a citizen.” The 11-month programs end in June, meaning the students were not eligible to participate in PRCC’s graduation ceremony in May. The special ceremony was held in Malone Chapel on the Poplarville campus. “It warms my heart each time I attend an occasion such as this,” said Sondra Clark, executive director of the Missisisppi State Board of Barbering Examiners. Barbers and cosmetologists do more than cut and style hair, often serving as informal counselors and advisers to their clients, she said. The graduates are eligible for state licensing, a requirement for working in their chosen fields. Barbering graduates are Demetris Julieus Fairley, Matthew Lamont Perkins and Ronald Shorts, all of Hattiesburg; Vantasia Cooley and Alethea R. Jarvis, both of Poplarville; Da’Quain Devin Damon Gilmore and Jenna Linette Thompson, both of Picayune and Olando Dantrey Marsaw of McComb. Julia Anglin and Ray McGill, both of Picayune, graduated as barbering instructors. Cosmetology students graduating with high honors were Racquel Ann Brekeen of Carriere, Hannah Elizabeth Davis and Jennifer Leah Dedeaux, both of Poplarville, and Sarah Chyanne Reid of Hattiesburg. Graduating with honors were Felicia Leigh Bilbo of Carriere, Olivia Josephine Dawsey of Pearlington, Constance Alisha Dedeaux of Wiggins, Ashley Elizabeth Ford of Lumberton, Shelbie Lynn McBeth of Carriere, Marie Miley of Poplarville and Crystal Darlene Smith of Poplarville. Also graduating were Amber Christine Gault of Carriere and Emily Josephine Ott of Poplarville. Barbering instructor is Ola Carpenter. Michelle Patterson is the cosmetology instructor.

Pearl River Community College barbering students received their diplomas in a special graduation ceremony Monday, July 1, at Malone Chapel in Poplarville. They are, front row, from left, Jenna Linette Thompson and Julia Anglin, both of Picayune; Alethea R. Jarvis of Poplarville; back row, Olando Dantrey Marsaw of McComb, Ronald Shorts, Matthew Lamont Perkins and Demetris Julieus Fairley, all of Hattiesburg; and Vantasia Cooley of Poplarville. Anglin and Ray McGill of Picayune (not pictured) graduated as barbering instructors. Also not pictured is barbering graduate Da’Quain Devein Damon Gilmore of Picayune.PRCC Public Relations photo

Cosmetology students at Pearl River Community College received their diplomas Monday, July 1, in a special graduation ceremony at Malone Chapel in Poplarville. They are, from left, Hannah Elizabeth Davis, Emily Josephine Ott and Crystal Darlene Smith, all of Poplarville; Constance Alisha Dedeaux of Wiggins, Felicia Leigh Bilbo and Racquel Ann Breeken, both of Carriere, Olivia Josephine Dawsey of Pearlington, Jennifer Leah Dedeaux of Poplarville and Shelbie Lynn McBeth of Carriere. Not pictured are Ashley Elizabeth Ford of Lumberton, Amber Christine Gault of Carriere, Marie Miley of Poplarville and Sarah Chyanne Reid of Hattiesburg.PRCC Public Relations photo

HATTIESBURG - A new $450,000 Mississippi Department of Transportation grant will make Pearl River Community College’s Poplarville campus just a little easier to navigate for students and alumni who visit the campus.“The grant is basically going to help make our campus a bit safer for pedestrians that come to visit us,” said PRCC President William Lewis. “One of our goals has been to enhance our grounds. This will help us expand our courtyard area.”The money, awarded by the MDOT via a federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant, will be used to enhance the commons area right in the heart of the campus. That means extending the campus’s courtyard area near Crosby Hall, while adding more landscaping, lighting and seating.There also will be a pedestrian walkway from new parking areas currently under construction to the center of campus.Southern Transportation Commissioner Tom King presented the check to Lewis on Thursday at the Woodall Advanced Technology Center in Hattiesburg.The grant is an 80-20 match, with PRCC adding around $110,000 to the project. Construction will begin in about six months. Dr. Lewis said the funds come from the school’s capital improvement funds, provided by the county support, and not general operational funds. “In presenting this funding to Pearl River Community College, we are showing our support for the staff and students who call this community college home,” said King. “This roadway upgrade will greatly enhance the experience of traveling through campus, whether by vehicle or by foot and bicycle. We are proud to partner with the school on this important project.”

“A lot of these schools are trying to get vehicle traffic out of the middle of their campuses,” explained King, calling it a “safety issue.” “We’re just happy to be able to award the funding to them.”

PHOTO CAPTION:HATTIESBURG – Southern Transportation Commissioner Tom King presented a $450,000 check to Pearl River Community College President Dr. William Lewis Thursday, June 27, at PRCC's Woodall Advanced Technology Center. The money, awarded by the Mississippi Department of Transportation via a federal Transportation Alternatives grant, will be used to enhance and pedestrian common areas on the Poplarville campus. On hand for the presentation were, from left, Dr. Adam Breerwood, PRCC vice president for the Poplarville campus; H.R. Nobles of Petal, a member of the PRCC board of trustees; Dr. Lewis, Mr. King, Lee Bell, director of the Woodall Center; and Dr. Cecil Burt, PRCC vice president for Forrest County operations.

POPLARVILLE - The Pearl River Community College alumni chapter in Pearl River County is sponsoring a county-wide football kick-off fish fry. The fish fry, a fundraiser for scholarships to PRCC, will be held Thursday, Aug. 15, at Fatty’s Seafood in Picayune. Social time runs from 5 to 8 p.m. with dine-in and carry-out fish plates available from 6 to 7 p.m. Pearl River County high school football coaches and the PRCC Wildcat coaching staff will speak at 6:30 p.m. There will also be entertainment and a silent auction with autographed memorabilia from NFL teams. All proceeds from the kick-off will go towards PRCC scholarships for Pearl River County students. Fish plates are $15, and tickets can be pre-purchased by calling 601-403-1183 and charged to Visa, MasterCard or American Express. For more information, contact Candace Harper, PRCC alumni coordinator, at 601-403-1193 or charper@prcc.edu.

POPLARVILLE - Pearl River Community College will offer after-hours pipefitting and welding courses during the fall semester on the Poplarville campus. The pipefitting course will meet from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, beginning Aug. 12 and ending Nov. 27. The course offers an industry recognized certificate in pipefitting, including applications for a 10-hour OSHA certification and NCCER certification in the core curriculum of introductory craft skills, Level 1 and Level 2 pipefitting. Applicants for the pipefitting course must have a Career Readiness Certificate rated silver or higher. CRC testing is offered free of charge at the Woodall Advanced Technology Center, 906 Sullivan Dr. in Hattiesburg. The welding course will meet from 5 to 10 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, beginning Aug. 12 and ending Dec. 11. It offers an industry recognized certificate in welding, including applications for a 10-hour OSHA certification and NCCER certification in the core curriculum of introductory craft skills and the Level 1 modules of welding safety, oxyfuel cutting, SMAW equipment and setup, SMAW electrode, SMAW beads and fillet welds and SMAW groove welds with backing. The fee for either course is $250 payable by check, cash or money order on the first day of class. Students must provide a drug screen at their own expense during the first week of class. Applications can be obtained and fees paid by contacting Gloria Wasmund at 601-403-1241 or by going to the Career Education Building on Wildcat Drive on the Poplarville campus. There will be no refunds after the first day of class.

Tammy Allhoff of Hattiesburg has been honored by the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting for 20 years as a Certified Surgical First Assistant. Allhoff is director of the surgical technology program at Pearl River Community College’s Forrest County Center.

Surgical technology is one of nine programs offered at the Allied Health Center at the Forrest County Center.

The 2013 dental assisting class at the Forrest County Center of Pearl River Community College received their diplomas in a graduation/pinning ceremony on July 18 in Hattiesburg. They are, seated from left, Kailey Anderson of Foxworth, Delisia Brooks of Terry, Hannah Sykes of Florence, Ashley McKissack of Petal, Emily Morgan of Picayune, Lauren Jones of Seminary; standing, Laykin Posey of Hattiesburg, Whitney Chambliss of Lumberton, Jamie Dunaway of Sumrall, Randi Terrell of Purvis, Kenyora Todd of Hattiesburg, Dana Mathis of Magee and Nicole Jackson of Liberty; program director Emy Addison and instructor Karen Carlisle.PRCC Public Relations photo

Students in the Pearl River Community College medical laboratory technology program at the Forrest County Center received their diplomas in a graduation ceremony on July 18. They are, seated from left, William Wicks of Long Beach, Samantha Pledger of Hattiesburg, Hope Peyton of Chalmette, La., Meghan Tyner of Petal; standing, program director Evelyn Wallace, instructor Tamara Henderson, Lauren Goleman of Gautier, Brittni Prine of Columbia and Arolyn Joiner of Clarksdale. Not pictured are Alexander Harvey of Carriere and Candace Washington of Vicksburg.PRCC Public Relations photo

Pearl River Community College will hold open registration for the fall semester at all three campuses. Registration at the Hancock Center, 454 Highway 90 in Waveland will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 31. The Forrest County Center, 5448 U.S. 49 in Hattiesburg will hold registration from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Aug. 1 and 2. Registration at the Poplarville campus will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Aug. 8 and 9. Day and night classes begin Monday, Aug. 12. Online classes begin Monday, Aug. 26. For more information, telelphone 601 403-1377 or go to the website at www.prcc.edu

POPLARVILLE - Completing the Pearl River Community College pipefitting course almost guarantees students well-paying jobs in the shipbuilding industry. “There are a limited amount of schools that train pipefitters,” said David I. Cobb, a trade manager with Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula. “We tested six Pearl River students (last year) and they did exceptionally well.” Cobb was at PRCC Monday, July 22, to test students interested in jobs at Ingalls after completing the summer pipefitting course. “They come in here with no experience and within 280 hours, they get a job,” instructor Joel Dickens said. “In a year, they are making over $40,000 a year.” Entry-level jobs pay about $30,000 plus benefits with rapid promotion possible, Cobb said. The Ingalls test includes a written exam and a hands-on test of the students’ skill in following plans. “If they can meet our criteria, they can go to work anywhere,” Cobb said. “There’s a lot more to it than the average person knows.” He expects Ingalls, which has shipbuilding contracts through 2023, to hire up to 200 pipefitters in the next year. The fall semester pipefitting course at PRCC will meet from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, beginning Aug. 12 and ending Nov. 27. The course offers an industry recognized certificate in pipefitting, including applications for a 10-hour OSHA certification and NCCER certification in the core curriculum of introductory craft skills, Level 1 and Level 2 pipefitting. Applicants for the pipefitting course must have a Career Readiness Certificate rated silver or higher. CRC testing is offered free of charge at the Woodall Advanced Technology Center, 906 Sullivan Dr. in Hattiesburg. The course fee is $250 payable by check, cash or money order on the first day of class. Students must provide a drug screen at their own expense during the first week of class. Applications can be obtained and fees paid by contacting Gloria Wasmund at 601-403-1241 or by going to the Career Education Building on Wildcat Drive on the Poplarville campus.

Todd Thompson, right, an assessor at Ingalls Shipbuilding, watches as Pearl River Community College pipefitting student Jeremy Mark of Picayune works through a fabrication test for a job at Ingalls.PRCC Public Relations photo

POPLARVILLE - Two Pearl River Community College students placed in the top 10 in Skills USA national competition.Travis Moore of Wiggins earned a silver medal for his second place finish in masonry while Jeremy Cooper of Kiln placed sixth in precision machining.“This was one of the best we’ve had,” said PRCC masonry instructor Porter Soley, who accompanied the students. “I was real pleased.”Soley has been taking PRCC students to the national Skills USA conference and competition in Kansas City, Mo., for 14 years. The 2013 conference was held June 24-28.Students must place first in state competition to qualify for the national event.Hannah Davis of Poplarville also competed in cosmetology.SkillsUSA serves more than 300,000 students and instructors in career-technical education annually. The organization has 13,000 school chapters in 54 state and territorial associations. More than 14,500 instructors and administrators are professional members of SkillsUSA.

Hannah Davis of Poplarville, masonry instructor Porter Soley, Travis Moore of Wiggins and Jeremy Cooper of Kiln represented Pearl River Community College at the 2013 Skills USA national conference. Moore placed second in national masonry competition and Cooper was sixth in precision machining.

POPLARVILLE - The Pearl River Community College cheerleading squad brought home five top five team awards and a first place award in two-person stunt competition from the Universal Cheerleading Association camp at the University of Alabama. The Wildcat squad won the First Place Superior trophy in the mascot division, and Chantel Garcia of Carriere and co-captain Colt Turnage of Sandy Hook placed first in advanced stunt partner competition. Competing in the open co-ed division, the squad placed third overall in the game planning and sideline categories, fourth place in cheer and fifth place in fight song. “I enjoyed the competition,” Turnage said. “You always think about how good you are in practice but you never really know until you’re around others. I enjoyed comparing ourselves to other schools and seeing where we stacked up.” Other members of the squad are Josh Carlan, Jodi Smith, Haylee Bounds, Chasity Ashe and Melissa Dragon, all of Picayune; Jace Gibson, Corey Willis and Brooke Wactor, all of Carriere; Brice Smith and Hannah Nix, both of Poplarville; Collin Parker of Summit, mascot Luke Owens of Bogalusa, La.; Chris Prince of Hancock, Shane Gordon of McNeill and Makayla Cooper of Columbia. “Since April we have been practicing hard to get our team back on track to a competitive level,” said cheer coach Candace Harper. “We were beyond excited to place in every category in which we competed. We were also mentioned as a new up-and-coming program to watch out for in the future.” Kyron Tyner of Picayune is assistant coach.

Pearl River Community College cheerleaders won numerous awards recently in the open co-ed division of the University of Alabama UCA cheerleading camp. They are, front row from left, Brooke Wactor of Carriere, Haylee Bounds and Chasity Ashe, both of Picayune; Brice Smith of Poplarville, Melissa Dragon of Picayune, Chantel Garcia of Carriere, Hannah Nix of Poplarville and Makayla Cooper of Columbia; back row, Collin Parker of Summit, Jace Gibson and Corey Willis, both of Carriere, Colt Turnage of Sandy Hook, mascot Luke Owens of Bogalusa, La.; Chris Prince of Hancock, Josh Carlan of Picayune, Shane Gordon of McNeill and Jodi Smith of Picayune.

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POPLARVILLE - Tyler Huber of Carriere received the Outstanding Student Award on Monday, July 29, when at the Pearl River Community College Summer Bridge Program’s Recognition Luncheon.The 4½- week program provides a smooth transition to college for students eligible for PRCC’s Student Support Services.Also receiving awards were Tia Tyler of Silver Creek and Kyle Davis of Poplarville, college survival skills; Kaci Sisson of Quitman, math; Tamara McCurdy of Taylorsvills, English; and Shakira Smith of Hattiesburg, reading.“This has been an intensive program,” said Dr. Adam Breerwood, vice president for the Poplarville campus and Hancock Center. “College is not easy, guys. College is hard. I’ve a first-generation college student. I understand the obstacles you face. You have a friend in me.”Student Support Services provides tutoring and other assistance for student with a documented disability, who are low-income or are the first in their family to go to college.“This is the first step in something that will change your life,” Breerwood said. “They can’t ever take your education away from you.”The 32-member class is the biggest PRCC has had and the most talented academically, coordinator Georgia Field said.In addition to those receiving awards, class members are Layken Artique, Brett Campbell, Joseph Chandler, Brenton Coates, Robert Collins, Mark Franklin and Jason Quigley, all of Carriere; Kalin Hart and Rebecca Reid, both of Lumberton; Lauren King and Justin Saucier, both of Poplarville; Nena Bond of Sumrall, Tina Craig of Picayune, Lester Crosby of Franklinton, La., Tiana Dampeer of Sontag, Ieshia Dixon of Utica, Hayden Drake of Hattiesburg, Markeysia Harness of Biloxi, Tamesha Horne of Taylorsville, Joshua Johnson of Monre, La., Jolonda Jones of Quitman, Skyeshia Moss of Shubuta, Essence Pulliam of Jackson, LaDerrick Scott of Forest, Vamikka Smith of Mobile, Ala., and Tamara Williams of Raymond.Dr. Robert Escudero is Student Support Services director.

Tyler Huber of Carriere received the Outstanding Student Award during the Pearl River Community College Summer Bridge to College program luncheon from Georgia Field, program coordinator, and Dr. Robert Escudero, Student Support Services director.

Brenton Coates of Carriere sings his original song, Walking on Air, to close the Summer Bridge to College luncheon.

Shakira Smith of Hattiesburg received the reading award from instructor George Denius.

Tamara McCurdy of Taylorsville received the English award from instructor Crystal Penton.

Kaci Sisson of Quitman received the math award from instructor Craig Carrigee.

Tia Tyler of Silver Creek, left, and Kyle Davis of Poplarville received the college survival skills award from instructor Carlette Bonnette.